AFTER trying for over a decade to get security employees of the Guyana Oil Company (GuyOil) unionized, the Clerical and Commercial Workers Union (CCWU) finally achieved that aim on Tuesday, when they signed a “Recognition and the Avoidance and Settlement of Disputes” agreement with the fuel company in the Boardroom of the Department of Labour (DoL), on Brickdam.

The agreement sees the company recognizing the CCWU as the sole bargaining agent for the non-management security employees of the company.

“The Company and the Union agree that both have interests in common, and it is the responsibility of both parties to work together in the spirit of trust and confidence so that these common interests may be maintained and protected and advanced,” the agreement read.

The agreement also notes that the company and the Union agreed that “whenever an issue is raised, it is essential to both that settlement be reached with all possible speed”. The agreement addresses matters such as strikes, reinstatement, union representatives, and union membership.

Signing on behalf of CCWU was President, Sherwood Clarke, and Consultant, Grantley Colbert, while signing on behalf of GuyOil was Company Secretary, Ilissa Jones, Corporate Service Manager Shaundell Brotherson, and Human Resource Officer, Marcel Emery.

Overseeing the transaction was Chief Labour Officer, Charles Ogle. The agreement represents an extension of the Union’s existing agreement with the petrol company, since the Union already represents other categories or workers at the company.

Management of the company expressed approval on the good relations it has with the Union, and its expectations for the continued partnership and good relations between the Union and the management of the company.

Clarke explained that over the years the Union had been unsuccessful in its bid to represent that section of employees at the company because it had failed to garner the required minimum 40 percent of employees signing on as members.

“For the last ten years we have been trying to organize the security and we weren’t successful, the workers weren’t too sure if the Union could represent security, but we got a clear definition from the DoL that indeed the Union could represent security,” Clarke explained.

GuyOil has approximately 120 security employees, and last year February a number of the employees again approached the Union and this time the membership was significant enough to initiate the process.

“We were able to get the percentage required by the Trade Union Recognition and Certification Board (TURCB), about 50 percent approached the CCWU last year February, because they wanted job security.

We had to apply for recognition at the Department of Labour letting them know we reached the required percentage for the recognition application. Then in January of this year the Ministry called in both the Union and the management of the company to come to an agreement” Clarke further explained.
Clarke noted that once the Union was cleared for representation, coming to an agreement with GuyOil was very easy to do.

“It was easy to work out. Since the union had existing representation with other employees at the company it was a smooth flow for this to be realized between the Union and the management, and then we came to the realisation of signing the agreement today,” Clarke said.